A U.S. expert on Korean affairs says a planned reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea would benefit both Seoul and Washington.

Peter Brookes, the director of Asian Studies at the Washington-based conservative think tank, Heritage Foundation, made the comments at the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

As for strategic implications of U.S. troop withdrawls, Brookes said the number of soldiers does not necessarily define military capabilities and that the shortfall to be created after a troop reduction would be more than offset by a planned increase in naval and air power.

The United States announced last month its plan to pull out 12,500 of its troops from South Korea by the end of next year.